The Vampire's Kiss
by KuroNoKiseki
Summary: Usami Akihiko was born with a strange medical condition – he needed to consume blood to survive. A series of emotional journey ensued until he found the only person to accept him the way he was.


For generations, the Usami Clan was envied by many.

They were claimed by others as the complete and ideal family for their massive wealth, power, and influence in the world of business and entrepreneurship. Some doubted if they were using clean means to achieve such great feats in their line of work, as they were known as the modern day King Midas' – capable of turning any business they touched. However, it wasn't the curse of a wizard or even the smallest traces of magic that would put money in their wallets. They were only gifted with their intelligence and upbringing.

The apparent perfection of the Usami Clan was believed by those who thought money is the sole key to happiness. Despite how others perceived them, a cold, looming darkness lurked behind closed doors.

The head of the family, Usami Fuyuhiko had an affair with an unknown mistress. Together, they birthed a child before the legitimate heir after him was born. His wife, Usami Natsuko found out the truth while she was pregnant and stricken with grief. The man she loved and gave everything to didn't have any sentiments toward her. She was just another business venture of his.

She realized that she married a man who merely saw others as pawns in his game and she felt treated no more than a tool to satisfy her husband's greed and pride. At this point, Natsuko could not bear it any longer. She decided to leave the Usami clan and live far away possible – on one condition.

She was not allowed to bring her newborn son along with her.

Children bearing the Usami blood were solely belonged to clan and to secure the future of the clan, Natsuko was not allowed to be in contact with her son to prevent her from manipulating her son into leaving. This only managed to fuel her hatred for the Usami clan further, and forever curse her fate for getting herself tied to them in the first place.

As if her curse upon the Usami Clan came true, the strangest thing happened to her son. Something that has never occurred in the family before.

Usami Akihiko was presumed normal until when he started nursing, he was found biting the finger of a woman who was breastfeeding him. She initially thought it was cute of him – until she realized Akihiko was too young to have teeth. He bit her hard enough to bleed, and the most shocking thing happened before her eyes.

The infant was drinking her blood! Streams of blood from her finger, pouring into his mouth as he suckled on it nonstop!

_"Akihiko-sama is secretly drinking blood!"_

Ten year old Akihiko was about to grab a drink from the fridge, he heard the maids gossiping in the kitchen by accident. Hiding behind the door, he peeked through the hole. The looks of disgust were apparent in their individual faces. To make sure they were truly talking about him, Akihiko strained his ears to listen.

_"I'm not kidding – I still remember what the doctor said,"_ the oldest maid nodded slowly. _"He said, Akihiko-sama is born unique. The most logical explanation for him is that he cannot obtain much nutrients from the food we eat – instead, he needs blood."_

The other maids shrieked.

_"Eww! I wonder if he drank human blood."_ A maid shivered at what she heard.

The old maid nodded to confirm. _"He did, but that was back when he was little. He was too hungry for blood, so he attacked a butler and sucked his blood. The next day, the butler left."_

The maids were saddened. Which side they sympathized, Akihiko had no idea.

_"So I'm telling you this – if Akihiko-sama wanted blood, serve him quickly."_ The old maid said firmly.

One maid shook her head in disbelief, _"Akihiko-sama seems like a good boy…"_

_"He is, we all know." _The old maid sighed sadly. _"But kids can be unpredictable."_

"Akihiko-sama?"

Akihiko turned to see Tanaka standing behind him. The head butler's face was clearly distraught. "What are you doing here? It's almost time for school."

"Nothing." Akihiko was rather indifferent.

Tanaka slowly smiled. "The driver is waiting for you outside. You go first, while I will get your schoolbag soon."

"There's no need, I will get it myself."

Despite his calm exterior, Akihiko rushed to leave the kitchen as soon as possible. From far away, he could hear Tanaka scolding the maids. He thought it was unnecessary on Tanaka's part, he was too used to this. Nobody could be blamed after all; he could understand what it's like to be in their shoes. The maids didn't have any malicious thoughts against him, just fearing for their safety in the mansion.

The secret of Akihiko's "sickness" was only kept within the Usami household. Akihiko's activity while being outside was strictly monitored even to the point nobody in his school knew anything about it. Well, only for one exception being Akhiko's only best friend.

"Akihiko, nobody's here. It's safe now." Hiroki informed, after looking around.

Akihiko breathed out in relief. He took out a thermos and gulped its content to quench his thirst after holding for so long. Warm blood from the thermos as if it was from a fresh wound flowed into his throat. After drinking, he gasped for air and wiped his mouth. Even under Hiroki's supervision, Akihiko wouldn't dare to take a long time in fear of someone suddenly appearing out of nowhere and catching him drinking blood. Not in front of people he doesn't trust.

"So you're full now? You don't need food?" Hiroki asked, offering him some yakisoba bread he brought from the school cafeteria.

"Thanks," Akihiko happily accepted the food. "I can go without food but eating delicious things can make me happy. It's like eating candy, you know. You eat it only to savor its taste instead of to satisfy your hunger."

Hiroki unwrapped his own yakisoba bread before taking a bite. His appetite died from the stench of blood coming from Akihiko's thermos, but he tried his best to not let it show. "How do you get blood?"

"From lots of places. The wet market, the slaughterhouse, et cetera. It's easy to get so it's no problem."

"What happens if you don't drink blood, um, let's say for a day?" Hiroki asked. He hoped Akihiko wouldn't mind him asking many questions, as much he was intrigued in curiosity.

"Same if you don't eat. I'll get sick," Akihiko took his final bite of the bread. "When I was little, I used to attack people for their blood. Now, I can control myself."

It was the first time Akihiko told Hiroki of him consuming human blood. Hiroki went silent, and gave him a thousand-yard stare. Akihiko raised both of his hands in submission, "Hey now, I'm not going to attack you…"

Hiroki abruptly stood up.

"You know what, Akihiko!?" Hiroki pointed at him. "I feel bad for you that you have to control your urges! You have to eat the disgusting blood too, how terrifying!"

Hiroki crossed his arms and turned away from Akihiko. "I'm going to study very hard. I'm going to be a scientist so I can find a cure for you!"

"H-Hiroki…" Akihiko raised his hand, motioned Hiroki to sit down. "I don't think I need to –"

"I'll make sure you won't face the same problems again, Akihiko!"

Akihiko silently sighed.

"You sure?"

"You're doubting me?!" Hiroki growled.

"It's just...you always fall asleep in science class."

07:00 AM.

The 28-year old Akihiko found himself lying on the sofa, his notebook spread open above his chest and papers containing reference materials were scattered on the floor. Akihiko realized he must've fallen asleep while working on his latest book. As he came to, he realized it was already morning without looking at the clock, from rays of sunlight penetrating into the windows.

He planned to fall back asleep until he realized today was an important day. "I have a date…!"

A sudden adrenaline rush hit him. Akihiko jumped from the couch, raced to the bathroom to clean himself and got dressed as properly as he could. He left his house immediately without taking a sip of blood as he usually would, the first thing in the morning. Today's date was too important to miss, and he doesn't want to be late.

_"Are you sure about this, Akihiko?"_

_Akihiko slowly nodded, tightly clenching the book he's borrowing from Hiroki._

_"He has his eyes on somebody else," Akihiko sighed. "But I'm still unable to get over him."_

_"I love him, Hiroki…!"_

His car entered the first empty parking lot he could see, and he immediately parked. Akihiko quickly glanced to his watch. Half past seven in the morning. He could still make it. Akihiko was not physically fit, but he hoped he had enough vigor to run through the airport to search for the one he had in mind. He had to be quick or else he'll miss seeing that person before his flight!

Akihiko arrived at the waiting area, where the passengers were seated as they wait for their upcoming departure. Among the many faces, Akihiko could spot someone who stood out in his eyes – the one he held very dear to his heart. Upon seeing him, Akihiko's heart warmed.

"Takahiro…!"

He stopped reading the book he was holding after hearing his name being called. He glanced to see who it was, and a smile formed in his face. His usual upbeat demeanor never failed to drive Akihiko to long for him. Despite the crowded seats, Akihiko could only see him, and nobody else mattered. The dark-haired man waved at him.

"Usagi! You're here!" Takahiro closed his book and set it aside. "I thought you wouldn't come!"

It doesn't take long for Akihiko to be ridden with guilt. "Sorry, I overslept. I was working on my latest book last night."

Takahiro gestured for Akihiko to take the empty seat beside him, which Akihiko happily complied.

"It's okay, I understand. It's not easy to be the great writer Usami-sensei, right? People are waiting for your newest work!"

As Akihiko sat down, the scent of Takahiro's blood wafted into his nostrils. Goosebumps were rising on Akihiko's skin, and all his senses were in disarray. His canines slightly grew in size. Akihiko secretly gulped, his sweat began to break.

_How sweet. This is Takahiro's scent._

"Thank you for coming, Usagi. It means a lot," Takahiro said, gripping Akihiko's hand. "You're the best buddy I've ever had."

_Can't I be more than that?_

Akihiko calmly smiled, masking his actual feelings. "Takahiro, may I ask something?"

"What is it Usagi?" Takahiro gazed into Akihiko's eyes. _Gosh, he's adorable_. It's like two lovers making eye contact with each other.

"Do you love me?"

Takahiro's smile died. He stared at Akihiko, dumbfounded by his question. Akihiko began to panic inside. It was only a simply-worded question, yet words can be powerful. Why Akihiko even ask it in the first place, he doesn't know. As if it's the only thing he could think about.

"I do love you, duh!" Takahiro lightly slapped Akihiko's shoulder. "You're my bestfriend!"

Takahiro's response wasn't making him happy. That's not the kind of love he meant. At this point Akihiko already knew – there's never any hope for him.

From afar, Takahiro waved at Akihiko goodbye as he left to board the plane. Akihiko waved back with a smile – whilst his heart was painfully aching. The scent of Takahiro's blood began to gradually disappear the further he walked away. He wasn't only saddened by Takahiro's temporary leave – the actual reason was even deeper, Akihiko perfectly knew it himself.

Akihiko stopped after several sips.

Instead, he stared blankly at the bottle of fresh blood he was holding. Akihiko's stomach was begging for more, but he doesn't feel like taking another sip again. His appetite died.

"What's wrong, Akihiko?" Hiroki crossed his arms. "You don't like the blood I brought you?"

Akihiko stared at the blood again – surely, it wasn't the blood of a dime-a-dozen quality – it was the fresh blood prepared by a high quality beef farm which Hiroki managed to get with quite a high price. It was expectedly delicious. But for some reason, Akihiko couldn't have himself to drink it much to the confusion of his longtime best friend.

Hiroki rolled his eyes. "Fine – if you don't want to drink it, just save it for another time. Don't you dare throwing it away!"

"Seriously, thanks for the meal, Hiroki." Akihiko chuckled.

After carefully sorting his thoughts, Akihiko finally came to a definitive answer for the little mystery bothering him.

"It's all because of Takahiro's blood," The silver waned man said, narrowing his eyes. "Whenever I'm about to drink blood, I keep remembering about his blood – his blood and this one doesn't have the same smell."

Hiroki widened his eyes in shock. "You want to drink human blood?! But long ago I thought you said –"

"No no, every human has their own individual scent of blood. So Takahiro's blood will smell differently from yours." Akihiko raised both of his hands.

Hiroki was calmed down, at the same time he doesn't know he should be relieved… or feel jealous. He grunted loudly, while Akihiko was clueless.

"Say, Akihiko…" Hiroki began to ask out of curiosity. "Between animal and human blood – which one is more delicious?"

Akihiko stared at Hiroki wide-eyed. Then he regained his composure, "Which one is more delicious, eh…?"

"…It's like comparing soda and juice, Hiroki…" Akihiko was telling the truth. "Both of them taste different from each other."

"Soda and juice… But you can prefer one over another, am I right?"

Hiroki had a point. Silence began to undertake Akihiko again. After a while, he came up with a response, "The last time I consumed human blood was when I was little so I don't even remember how it tasted. Besides, I had animal blood more often, so…"

Hiroki was not convinced with Akihiko's half-hearted answer. He walked to the small drawer on his table and scrambled around his personal stuffs until he found something he wanted. It was a surgical mask. Hiroki approached Akihiko and handed the mask to him. The dumbfounded Akihiko was confused by his friend's doing.

"Hiroki, what is this…"

"Here. Whenever you feel like biting someone, wear this." Hiroki pushed the mask to Akihiko's hands. "It'll save you from further troubles."

It was only a simple thing, but Akihiko's heart was slightly warmed. His friend was at least trying to help him in the most possible way he could. The same old Hiroki – he retained his brash attitude but still nevertheless a faithful friend in the end.

"But I know that won't be enough, Akihiko. Why don't you just stop seeing him if it's hurting you so much?"

Hiroki glared at him. Seeing his eyes – more fiery than usual, Akihiko knew Hiroki was pressing him for answer. Akihiko took some time for him to think – Hiroki's question was challenging every of his brain cells. Akihiko took a deep breath to maintain his composure.

"…Because I love him, Hiroki…!"

Hiroki sighed. He shook his head. "You're an idiot as ever, Akihiko…"

"I can't help it…" Akihiko hung his head low. "I know seeing him will only hurt me – but it hurts more if I don't get to see him…!"

Hiroki grew to be more annoyed. He had been dealing with this side of Akihiko for so many times. Recalling those moments, Hiroki realized how many times he had been repeating himself, giving the same form of advice every single time. Now he was out of words on how to help his friend.

"Hiroki, what would you do if it were you?"

"Me?" Hiroki glanced towards Akihiko for a while. "I'll go look for someone else, duh…!"

Come to think of it, unlike him Hiroki was already settled in with another man. In result, his heart felt lonelier from thinking about it.

Looking out through the window in his office, Hiroki added, "This world is very large, Akihiko. Even if Takahiro doesn't love you, it's not the end yet. There will be someone else."

"Oh? So no matter how much I love Takahiro – I still can fall for someone else? Someone I don't know?" Akihiko watched Hiroki in disbelief.

"Of course – _you can._"

Akihiko's daily routine consisted of only four things – _wake up, drink blood, work, sleep._

The first thing he'd do in the morning as soon he woke up was opening the fridge where he kept packets of frozen blood. He will put one into a microwave to not only defrost but heat it at the same time, so it will give the exact same feel of fresh blood directly bitten from a living organism. Akihiko could survive for three packets a day, and it never posed a problem with him due to how easily he could get his blood supply.

However, one problem arose this morning.

Akihiko looked at the half-full glass of blood, he felt strangely full already. Akihiko was sure he couldn't survive the morning without a glassful of blood. Usually he could empty a glass only in a gulp. But now, he doesn't feel like taking more – only this much was enough?

One thing he noticed – the blood doesn't taste delicious at all.

The smell of blood was the thing that regularly got his spirits up in the morning but today, the smell felt foreign to him. He wondered if his tongue went numb, as if he couldn't taste at all – the usual sweetness was not there. Akihiko placed the glass on the table, and figure out what he should do with it. Should he leave it just there, then come back to resume drinking if he was hungry for blood again?

_Takahiro…_

Finally, Akihiko fully understood it. It explained all the questions he had in his head.

Standing up, Akihiko picked up the glass. He walked to the sink with the glass in his hand. Once he approached the sink, the glass of blood – he tilted it. The warm blood slowly streamed downwards, escaped from the glass before making its way to the drain. As the blood gradually flowed down the drain, Akihiko keenly watched with a blank mind.

It won't hurt to cease drinking blood for a while. Probably, it's for the best – after this he could live more like a normal human, perhaps?

Today, Akihiko wanted to break his boring old routine. He exited his house and rode his car to a certain location – somewhere he visited very often. Akihiko found it as his only source of happiness, and he was having his hopes up for even the tiniest speck of it. Only a sniff of that person's blood was enough for him.

_"Why don't you just stop seeing him if it's hurting you so much?"_

Beggars cannot be choosers. After all, he's the only who can make him happy – when nobody else couldn't. If it's not him, then _who else?_

Before the door, Akihiko made sure he had his mask on in case his canines were protruding out at Takahiro's sight. He pressed the doorbell, and anxiously waited for Takahiro's arrival. With each time passing, he grew impatient. Worried at the same time if Takahiro was doing fine. Like people would say, a minute can be too long if you're waiting your love.

"Coming!"

It wasn't Takahiro's voice. Akihiko was slightly disappointed.

The door before him was opened. A different smell of blood filled his nostrils. The not-Takahiro had his eyes on him, and they both exchanged gazes. Beneath the mask, Akihiko formed a small pout. This person, despite being related to Takahiro, was not having any similarities with him at all.

"What, it's just Usagi-san." Misaki snorted, tired of always seeing the same person too often. "Nii-chan went out for a while, but he will return soon. Come in."

Misaki was treating him with such nonchalant attitude which Akihiko was used to. He was fine, not like he was expecting any better of him anyway. Their clash of personalities was too strong they couldn't get along, even if Akihiko had befriended a mean-spirited person like Hiroki. The only thing in common between them was the mutual feeling of displeasure for each other.

Akihiko grumpily stepped inside. He was jealous of this spoiled little brother, who got to hog Takahiro to himself all day. Not to mention how little effort it had to take. Every time he came here, this little brat would do nothing but glare at him.

Misaki on the other hand, was still having vengeance on what happened in the other day. His face grew hot from recalling that embarrassing moment after he caught Akihiko writing about his brother. He didn't have problems with gay people, but Akihiko was touchy-feely with his brother and wrote erotic books about them having sex… What a creep.

In the living room, Akihiko saw Misaki on the sofa with books and papers scattered around on the table before him. Akihiko took a seat beside him.

"What are you doing?" Akihiko asked.

Misaki had his eyes plastered on the papers, "Studying."

Takahiro asked Akihiko to become Misaki's tutor so he could improve his studies. So Akihiko came at the right timing. Realizing his position, Akihiko's interest was piqued.

"I have an exam on next week," Misaki added. "I need to get all of these done or else I won't pass."

However, Akihiko saw Misaki barely doing anything. The younger's hands were tucked in his lap, as he observed the papers. As if he was deeply thinking. "Are you stuck on a particular question?"

Misaki's brows twitched. Letting out a deep sigh, he pushed the papers away and buried his face onto the table. "I'm done. I'm so done!"

"Misaki, don't give up just yet." Akihiko tried to persuade him. "You do want to pass and make Takahiro proud, right?"

"But… This is too hard…" Misaki whined, his voice muffled by the table.

Akihiko loosened his shoulders. "All you need is to pass. It's not like you have to score any higher than that."

"But I'm not smart…"

Not smart huh. Akihiko recalled the times he was forced to study by his father when he was little. He doesn't see how scoring full marks and remaining on top of the class really worth it, compared to the happiness he had to sacrifice in process.

Akihiko's heart burned in envy again. Misaki was enjoying things he wished to have.

"It's not because you are not smart. It's just that you didn't study," Akihiko gave a piece of advice. "How about answering the exams while you had studied much this time."

Misaki shook his head. "I can't… I will fail all over again…"

Akihiko still wanted to help Misaki – all for Takahiro's sake.

"It's not like you can't. It's just you don't believe that you can."

"Eh?" Misaki raised his chin and looked at Akihiko. Something hit him.

Misaki had never given him this kind of look before. The first time Akihiko had seen this boy's act where it wasn't filled with annoyance for him. His widened emerald eyes were filled with wonder, and his features became gentler. Akihiko wasn't sure if he was imagining it, but he found this boy was quite cute. If only Misaki would show this side of him more often.

"Come on, Misaki. Everyone else is working hard too," Akihiko said softly, so Misaki would listen to him. "You won't know if you don't even try, right?"

Misaki was silent for a moment. Then, pulled the papers back to him.

"O-Okay…"

_Good boy,_ Akihiko thought. "I will be here to help. If there's anything you don't understand, let me know – I'll teach you everything."

Time passed so fast that Akihiko didn't notice Takahiro's presence in the house.

"Usagi? You're here?"

As soon Akihiko heard Takahiro's voice, _nothing else mattered_. He stood up, rushed towards his love and tackled him into a hug. "Takahiro. I missed you…!"

He was engulfed in Takahiro's warmth and sweet smell, what he yearned for every day. Even a minute of this was enough for him. Although beneath his heart he painfully knew – he wouldn't get to savor Takahiro's presence forever. Soon, his Takahiro will be taken away – he had to enjoy the remaining time he had before losing him entirely.

"I didn't know you're here, gosh!" Takahiro patted Akihiko's back. "Now that you're here, why don't you join us for lunch?"

Akihiko waved his hand a little, refusing the offer. "Ah, fine by me. I'm only stopping by for a while to see how you are doing. I need to come home soon."

Takahiro's scent was driving him insane and he doesn't know how long he could hold himself. Luckily with the mask, it was concealing his protruding canines perfectly. He only planned to visit for a while, without realizing it he ended up hanging around longer than expected. He had a manuscript to finish back home. Akihiko made his way to the entrance, ready to leave the house.

"Umm, Usagi-san…!"

Akihiko turned his head. Behind him, was Misaki catching his breath. Perhaps he ran as fast as possible to catch up with Akihiko before his leave.

Misaki quickly bowed his head down. "Thank you for helping me with my studies!"

Slowly, Akihiko's lips rose into a smile. It seemed like he managed to bond with the boy a little – now he had a taste of friendship for the first time after so long. He raised a hand up while shifting to the door, "That was nothing."

_This boy can be cute too, _Akihiko smiled to himself all the way back home.

Several days had passed.

Akihiko's usual routine started again, but this time only a half-full glass of blood. His need for blood was starting to wane these days. He perfectly knew the reason why, but he doesn't mind – he wanted to stop caring. His body was weakening due to the lack of blood, but he doesn't feel like listening to his body's demand. He was growing to hate his lifestyle of relying on the disgusting blood to survive – if only he could quit.

One particular thought entered Akihiko's mind.

If he doesn't drink blood, he will get sick. His body needed blood, but he doesn't feel like consuming it anymore. The taste of blood wasn't as sweet as he used to enjoy before, the scent was no longer enticing him. He wondered what would happen if he stopped drinking blood, as he needed blood just like how normal humans need food and water – _will everything be over?_

That's it. A sip should be enough for today.

Akihiko threw the remaining blood in the glass into the drain. As time passed with how things were going now – he should be consuming blood _less and less. _

_There should be a time where he will completely stop drinking blood then._ After that… nothing will matter anymore.

Akihiko placed his mask back on, even when he's inside his own house. In case Aikawa was suddenly barging inside to ask for his manuscript. He was informed beforehand that Misaki will come over today for a tutor session, so he sat on the sofa in the lounge area to wait.

After a while, the doorbell of his house rang. Akihiko looked at the intercom, Misaki was at his doorstep. He shouldn't keep him waiting for long.

"Konnichiwa, Usagi-sa –"

Misaki was halted in his tracks. He stared at Akihiko in shock, he widened his eyes. "Usagi-san… There's blood on your mask!"

"Eh?" Akihiko looked at his mask and pulled it a little for a better view. Misaki was telling the truth, there were little patches of blood staining his mask. "Ah, this is…"

Misaki urged Akihiko to get inside despite being his guest. "I'll have some tissues! Let's get it treated first!"

Pushing him down the sofa, Misaki jerked off Akihiko's mask in a swift motion.

"You're bleeding…" Misaki said, wiping off blood from Akihiko's mouth with tissues. "Are okay, Usagi-san? What happened?"

Akihiko was touched with Misaki's concerned tone, not to mention this was new of him. Then, it randomly came to him – he should let this boy know his secret. Akihiko could trust Misaki in keeping secrets, as the younger never told his brother of Akihiko's feelings or the erotic novels he wrote. Or even the sexual harassment initiated on him.

As Akihiko was about to explain – he found Misaki silently gazing at him for a noticeable amount of time.

"Is there anything wrong, Misaki?" asked a puzzled Akihiko.

"Usagi-san…" Misaki blinked his eyes several times. "This is the first time I see your face."

Oh yeah – Akihiko had his mask on every time he faced Takahiro, and usually Misaki was there too. So now his mask was off, Misaki got the honor to look at his face… Did he manage to leave a good impression? Now Misaki was unable to do anything but stare at him, Akihiko was bored of his silence. He had to do something to snap Misaki back to reality.

"So what do you think of my face?" Akihiko began to tease. "Am I a looker?"

Misaki's face turned beet red, but Akihiko wasn't suspecting anything. He moved his eyes from Akihiko and looked away, frantically. His lips trembled uncontrollably.

"N-no I don't!" Misaki protested while blushing madly. "I-I-I I'm just shocked!"

Akihiko told everything to Misaki about his past and strange medical condition. Instead of focusing on his homework Misaki diverted all of his attention to Akihiko's story. As Akihiko talked, he paid closely to Misaki's facial features and body language. He wanted to see if the younger will give out any cues while listening.

"So…" Misaki tried to put it altogether in his head, "You're saying that you need blood to survive?"

Another unseen expression of Misaki – but this time Akihiko couldn't piece what was the younger's emotion shown by it.

"So what do you think?" Akihiko asked with a smug on his face. Though, he was observing Misaki, curious of his opinion.

Misaki put his pen down, and crossed his arms. He took some time to think.

"Hmm… I don't know what to say," Misaki said casually. "I guess things can diverge from normalcy without a reason, eh?"

This was new, Akihiko raised a brow. Fear. Shock. Disgust – Misaki wasn't exhibiting any of them. He must be mocking him deep down, but not like Akihiko will care anyway. To him, that wasn't even the worst possible reaction. He gave up caring about what others would say about him long ago anyway, and he knew Misaki wasn't the type to willingly hurt others.

Suddenly, Misaki stood up from his seat. "Usagi-san, wait for me. I will come back…!"

In puzzlement, Akihiko watched the younger racing towards the main door while leaving some of his stuffs in his house, absolutely intending to return here soon. Before Misaki left the house, Akihiko could catch him making a quick phone call to his brother.

"Nii-chan? Sorry, I'll be home a little bit late – I'm having dinner in Usagi-san's place tonight!"

Almost two hours passed and Misaki came back at Akihiko's house while panting. He was holding a large plastic bag smelling of hot food in one of his hands. "Usagi-san, I bought you some food. Let's eat together, I'm hungry now!"

If Akihiko were to turn down Misaki's offer, the younger would be sad as his efforts were wasted just like that. Despite not needing food, Akihiko was never picky about them except for the accursed green bell peppers. So he sat at the table as Misaki helped to prepare the meals -a menu he had never seen before.

"Usagi-san, this is a famous soup from a Chinese restaurant me and my family used to eat at." Misaki said, handing Akihiko his serving of food. "It's delicious!"

Akihiko observed the bowl of soup before him. The beige colored soup was garnished with tofu, some chicken bits, cabbage and green onion. He was curious of how this new meal would taste, so he tried the soup first. It was spicy, but easy on his taste buds. He could see himself enjoying this.

Akihiko picked a chunk of meat with the chopsticks and took a bite – at a sudden, a surge of energy filled him.

The silver waned man was shocked. He never had this kind of experience with food, or food could never leave an effect like this on him. He stared at the bitten dark brown colored chunk held by his chopsticks. It wasn't beef like he initially thought – it had a tofu-like texture.

Before eating, Misaki was waiting for Akihiko's reaction upon discovering one of the ingredients. "Usagi-san, that's duck blood tofu."

"What?!" Akihiko exclaimed in disbelief. His gaze reverted to the dark brown tofu again. "This… is blood?!"

Akihiko never tasted cooked blood before. He never thought the idea of blood being cooked into a meal that people without having the same condition as him could enjoy. It tasted vastly different from the raw blood he usually consumed, but he could still feel the energy filling him. His lethargy for consuming little blood was replenished in a hearbeat.

Then, Akihiko turned to watch Misaki eating just to make sure. The younger placed the dark brown tofu into his mouth and chewed it without problems, "Look, Usagi-san. I eat blood too."

Akihiko was beyond shocked at such spectacle displayed. "Misaki…"

"It doesn't taste and smell like raw blood after it's cooked so I don't feel disgusting at all. Plus, it's a Chinese delicacy," Misaki said while chewing his food. "Usagi-san, eat it while it's still hot."

"Misaki, I don't know what to say…" Akihiko felt quite touched. Suddenly consuming blood in front of others doesn't feel weird anymore, compared to others who would be disgusted by the smell as he did before.

"You see, Usagi-san…" Misaki was turning bashful, "There's nothing weird with drinking blood to survive. Well, I've heard of more disgusting things made into food. Like you won't want to know what is the world's most expensive coffee is made of."

Akihiko chuckled. "Misaki, I don't know you can be this sweet."

"Duh, it's just common sense!" Misaki blushed a little. "Why do you have to feel bad for drinking blood, when you need it to survive? Thanks to blood that you're alive to this day! If they truly care for you, they wouldn't want you to die from the lack of it."

Misaki continued to nag, "Seriously, why any of you couldn't think of this? I swear you rich people should go outside sometimes. There's plenty of blood-based food other than this."

"Misaki, it's not really about feeling disgusted or not. They are afraid if I will attack them." Akihiko said, not wanting to play the blame game on anyone.

"But Usagi-san, you haven't killed anyone right?"

Akihiko widened his eyes. He stared at Misaki in surprise; right after a realization hit him.

Misaki added, "And you said you can control yourself. Look – you never attacked Nii-chan or me."

Misaki began to stutter. "Y-You're so kind to Nii-chan… and to me, too." He said it with a blush plastered to his face. "You're more than just someone who drinks blood."

"A-Anyway! Before I forgot," Misaki placed down his bowl and chopsticks on the table. He bowed his head towards Akihiko, "Thank you for helping with my studies on the other day."

"Eh?" Akihiko was dumbfounded.

Misaki looked at the other way, rubbing the back of his head. He smiled bashfully, "Well, I passed my tests. It's all thanks to you. You were right – I just need to believe in myself. So I decided to treat you a meal as a reward…"

Akihiko felt like thanking him back. "Misaki – this is the first time I enjoyed blood with someone else. Not to mention in a domestic style like this… so thank you very much, Misaki."

Akihiko showed the earnest smile from the bottom of his heart. He rarely felt this happy, even around Takahiro. Seeing it, Misaki turned darker shades of red as time passed – he just witnessed Akihiko's rawest smile which he had never seen before. "T-This is nothing! Don't exaggerate it!"

Misaki gobbled on his food silently but quickly, once he was done he said goodbye and left as soon as possible.

All over from Akihiko's house to his own, Misaki could think of nothing but Akihiko in the train. Akihiko's sharp features and vibrant eyes flashed vividly in his mind, as he was used to Akihiko wearing a surgical mask. Then, Akihiko smiling to him came up. Feeling embarrassed with himself, he could hear his heart thumping fiercely. Misaki raised a hand to cup his mouth. He cannot stop shaking.

_What is wrong with me…_

_"Usagi! I'm getting married soon!"_

Akihiko opened his fridge. He stared at the lining packs of frozen blood, his appetite was not there. Since Takahiro's scent of blood was strongly adhered to his memory. How long he went without drinking blood for now, he doesn't even know. It had been a long time since he consumed some. He no longer wanted to listen to his body, the more time passed the more he grew to hate blood.

Akihiko grabbed all the packs at once, emptying the fridge. He opened the trash can and dumped them into it. What's the use of keeping blood if he can't enjoy them anymore?

_"Usagi, she is the best women I've ever met!"_

_It will be over soon_, Akihiko told himself. He had to bear for a while – soon, _he will no longer feel pain._

Gathering all the strength he had, Akihiko dragged his feet to leave his house and walk towards his car. Today was his beloved Takahiro's birthday, and he shouldn't miss it. Takahiro would happy to see him, he hoped. Akihiko will make to the Takahashi residence even if his body was currently breaking apart – because nothing else mattered to him anymore.

As he arrived, Akihiko parked his car inside the garage. The garage was empty, meaning that Takahiro wasn't at home. He doesn't mind – he will wait even if it will take hours. He wanted to meet Takahiro again _for the last time._

Misaki peeked outside his house to see Akihiko coming out from his car. Having not seeing each other for a long time, Misaki's heart soared – he could've almost cried. He thought Akihiko was too busy to come.

"Usagi-san…" Misaki whispered out. He smiled in relief, and blushed without realizing.

The door was opened before Akihiko could ring the bell. Misaki stood before him. "Usagi-san, you're late! You didn't even give us a call for the past few weeks, geez."

Akihiko was strangely too quiet, and Misaki could notice it. Then, he saw the older's ghostly pale skin. Misaki had a very bad feeling.

"Usagi-san, are you okay?" Misaki asked worriedly. "You look pale. Are you sick?"

Akihiko threw himself on the sofa. "I'm okay. I will wait for Takahiro to come."

While waiting, Misaki tried to brighten Akihiko's mood by chatting with him, but Akihiko was barely responding. At that point Misaki knew something was definitely wrong, and it was giving him a bad feeling that he couldn't shake off. It was as if he could see the forthcoming of a disaster happening. Akihiko was not usually like this – and it was driving Misaki uneasy as well.

Time was progressing too slowly until Takahiro returned home at nighttime. His usually cheery tone broke the deadly silence inside the house. "Misaki, I'm home!"

Akihiko's ears perked. He gained some energy to rush towards his love at the lead of his nose and wrap his arms around him in an embrace. Rather than coming to see his brother first, Misaki was watching Akihiko while hoping Takahiro will help to cheer him a little. Akihiko did return to his usual side after meeting Takahiro, and it made Misaki feel relieved.

Misaki's relief was short-lived. Little he knew, something worse was coming for his private tutor. _Usagi-san…_

A beautiful woman with auburn hair entered the house, and gracefully walked into their line of sight. She bowed to them in such gentle movement. Takahiro wrapped an arm around her shoulders – both Akihiko and Misaki had the same idea on who she was.

Misaki tugged Akihiko's sleeve. "Umm Usagi-san, I think it's better –"

Akihiko braced himself to face her, while retaining a smile on his face. "Oh? Takahiro, who is this?"

Misaki couldn't bear to watch.

"Usagi, this is my fiancée, Kajiwara Manami." Takahiro introduced his fiancée in pride. "What do you think, Usagi?"

Akihiko calmly smiled. He patted Takahiro's shoulder, "She is beautiful. Both of you really suit each other."

"I'm happy to hear that from you, Usagi – I wanted to introduce her to you first!"

At once, Akihiko could feel all of his senses to stop functioning. Before his weak legs drag him towards the floor, someone grabbed his hand. "Nii-chan, me and Usagi-san need some fresh air! We will come back soon!"

Taking Akihiko's hand, Misaki took him away as far as possible.

"Usagi-san, what's the matter with you today?" Misaki asked again. "You're scaring me!"

Akihiko laughed a little in self deprecation. "Misaki… I am a pathetic person, eh? I can't even live without thinking of Takahiro's blood – I ended up throwing away all of the blood supplies I have."

"Eh? Then… Did you drink any of them first?" Misaki asked in horror, he couldn't stop shaking.

Akihiko laughed again, "No, I didn't. I don't see the point anymore…"

"What?! You idiot…! Why did you do that?! You wanted to die or what…!" Rather than scolding him, Misaki was saying in a defeated tone.

"I am an idiot, you're right…" Akihiko shook his head, felt disappointed of himself. "Look at how hopeless I am without your brother…!"

Misaki grew irritated. "Just stop talking for now! I think I know a hospital somewhere here! We'll get there soon, and you're gonna be –"

Akihiko's eyelids gradually became heavier in sync with his whole body. His legs could no longer carry him. He lost his grip around Misaki's hand – unable to control his body anymore; he fell onto the cold asphalt.

"Usagi-san?" Misaki became panicked once his hand felt empty. He turned behind, to find Akihiko sprawling on the road behind him face down. His heart almost stopped. "Usagi-san!"

Misaki cradled Akihiko in his arms. His heart broke at the sight of his mask, he immediately removed it. The existence of the mask was for nothing but treating Akihiko like a dog with a muzzle – Akihiko wasn't a dog. He was not less of a human being compared to him, just because he drank blood.

"Usagi-san! Get a hold of yourself!"

He brushed his silver bangs from his face to check for any wounds. Thankfully there was none, but it doesn't help the situation in the slightest. To see Akihiko being pale and weak in his arms, Misaki's eyes began to water – there's no way he could stop his tears from dropping. Akihiko was deprived of blood, and he was reduced to this pitiful state.

Akihiko opened his eyes, after finding himself engulfed in Misaki's warmth and scent. "Misaki… You're crying?"

"This is all your fault, you asshole!" Misaki snapped at him, his tears rapidly falling down. "Do you think a guy like me would love to cry?! You dumbass!"

Akihiko croaked, "Misaki… I can't see anything. My eyes… they're… blurry."

"Usagi-san?! No, no, no!" Misaki shook Akihiko, trying to get him back to his senses. "Please! Stay strong!"

After figuring possible ways to save Akihiko, Misaki could only think of one solution. "That's right, you need blood!"

"Misaki…?" Akihiko weakly asked, clueless of what the younger was about to do.

_Usagi-san… I am a nobody. I am not good looking, not smart, and have no special talents._

Without wasting time, Misaki unzipped his jacket a little to expose one of his shoulders.

_But, if this is the only thing I could give you…_

Misaki pulled Akihiko into an embrace, and have the older's face buried into his neck. "Usagi-san… Please, have my blood."

Akihiko couldn't believe what he just heard. Did Misaki just… offer him his own blood?

This was a first. It was too good to be true. Akihiko tried his best to resist no matter how tempting it was. He could've heard things wrong. Soon, all the screams in pain and terror he heard as a child loudly echoed in his ears.

_"Ah! Help! Help! He's biting me!"_

_"Akihiko-sama! No, stop! You can't bite people!"_

_"No! Get away from me you monster!"_

_"What kind of a person drinks blood to live?! Disgusting!"_

"Usagi-san, please!" Misaki's pleas knocked him back to the present. "If you don't you will…!"

It was not the same as Takahiro's – yet, Misaki's scent was persistently filling his nostrils, strangely putting his mind at ease. There was a stark contrast in sweetness between the two, but it was not stopping Akihiko's canines to slowly protrude into larger and sharper forms, specialized for biting. Akihiko tried to move his head away, but Misaki kept pulling him back.

Akihiko shook his head in refusal, "I can't, Misaki…! Or I will hurt you…!"

"Usagi-san," Misaki choked a sob. He gently caressed Akihiko's cheek. "I know, you are hurt. Then – why don't we share the pain altogether?"

Even Akihiko's body was screaming at him, his hunger for blood multiplied. His fight or flight instincts took over, and his breaths grew erratic. The longer he tried to resist, the more he couldn't fight his urges. Slowly, Akihiko opened his mouth.

_Misaki…!_

Akihiko's inhibitors were all casted aside. His canines, stabbed through Misaki's skin and sank into his neck – ultimately led to the drawing of warm, freshly bitten blood. A nostalgic sweetness overfilled his mouth. The flow of blood he hadn't tasted since forever was savored by his tongue before falling down his throat. The richness of flavor was too much that Akihiko couldn't stop sucking.

"Ah…!"

_Misaki… I'm hurting you. I'm so sorry… Please forgive me, I don't mean to put you into such pain…!_

A sharp pain entered through his neck. However, it will only make Misaki to pull Akihiko closer instead of pushing him away like others would normally do. Misaki knew how thirsty Akihiko was for blood, judging at how he greedily he sucked. His tears, was flowing nonstop as the older sucked his blood without hints of stopping.

_This doesn't hurt at all, Usagi-san. After all, you're the one who's actually hurt._

Warm droplets fell onto Misaki's shoulder, and he knew it wasn't his blood due to the difference in viscosity. Once he fully knew what those droplets were, the brunet's . He cried more, as he hugged Akihiko tighter and stroked his hair to comfort him.

He was not facing a monster – this one in front of him was just a tortured soul damned by a cruel fate. No, Akihiko was not a demon… He was just an angel expelled from heaven too soon.

_Usagi-san… If this is the only thing to make me stay by your side forever…_

Akihiko pulled away after he was full. He did it without considering if he should stop in consideration for Misaki – he did it out of his own free will.

His amethyst eyes lingered over Misaki's presence, to be met by a pair of emerald eyes. Silence prevailed after an intense moment shared by the two - probably both were already too exhausted. No words exchanged, no emotions displayed, no further actions were taken. Akihiko turned to look at Misaki, and Misaki looked back at him.

The younger was no longer crying, although his cheeks were still glistening with tears. Their hands were still unconsciously holding each other, their fingers intertwined in harmony. Collecting his energy, Misaki formed a small, yet unforced smile on his face.

"Usagi-san, look – I didn't die."


End file.
